FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL GROUP

5 CONCEPTS
 Defining Boundaries
 Choosing Leaders
 Making Decisions
 Setting Goals
 Controlling the Behaviors of Group Members

Defining Boundaries
Social Groups are defined by boundaries. Cultural sociologists define symbolic
boundaries as "conceptual distinctions made by social actors…that separate people into
groups and generate feelings of similarity and group membership." In-groups, or social
groups to which an individual feels he or she belongs as a member, and out-groups, or
groups with which an individual does not identify, would be impossible without
symbolic boundaries.

Permeability of Group Boundaries

The perceived permeability of group boundaries is important in determining how
members define their identity. Where group boundaries are considered permeable (e.g.,
a group member may pass from a low status group into a high status group), individuals
are more likely to engage in individual mobility strategies. 
Where group boundaries are considered impermeable, and where status relations are
considered reasonably stable, individuals are predicted to engage in social creativity
behaviors.

Choosing Leaders
Leader is somebody who people follow, somebody who guides or direct others.
Leadership is the ability to organize a group of people to achieve a common purpose.

Styles of Leaderships
Leadership style refers to a leader's behavior. It is the result of the philosophy,
personality, and experience of the leader. 

 Functional leadership theory argues that the leader's main job is to see that
whatever is necessary to group needs is taken care of.
  Under the autocratic leadership style, all decision-making powers are
centralized in the leader, as with dictators.
 The democratic leadership style consists of the leader sharing the decision-
making abilities with group members by promoting the interests of the group
members and by practicing social equality.
 In the laissez-faire leadership style, a person may be in a leadership position
without providing leadership, leaving the group to fend for itself.
 Expressive leaders are concerned about the emotional well-being of the group
and want the group to function harmoniously.
 Authoritarian leaders are dictator-like; they make all the decisions for the group
and have the final say, regardless of other's feelings or opinions.
 A toxic leadership style is a person who has responsibility over a group of people
or an organization, and who abuses the leader-follower relationship by leaving
the group or organization in a condition that's worse than when he/she originally
found it.

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, is an example of
democratic leadership
Autocratic leadership
Benito Mussolini, a fascist dictator who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943, is an example of
autocratic leadership, where all decision-making powers were centralized on him.

Making Decisions
Decision-making is the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action
among several alternative scenarios. Every decision-making process produces a final
choice. Group decision-making is the process used when individuals are brought
together in a group to solve problems.

Setting Goals
Setting goals involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-
targeted (S.M.A.R.T.) benchmarks for results. Work on the theory of goal-setting
suggests that it's an effective tool for making progress because participants in
a group with a common goal are clearly aware of what is expected from them. On a
personal level, setting goals helps people work toward their own objectives, which are
most commonly financial or career-based goals.

Controlling the Behaviors of Group Members

The behavior of group members can be controlled indirectly through group polarization,
groupthink, and herd behavior.
Group polarization is the phenomenon that when placed in group situations, people will
make decisions and form opinions that are more extreme than when they are in
individual situations.
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the
mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group
overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
Herd Behavior describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned
direction.